In a city full of athletes and weekend warriors, we see a lot of sprains and strains come through our clinic doors. One of the sports injuries we encounter most often might come as no surprise: tennis elbow!
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, occurs when tendons in the joint become inflamed due to overuse and repetitive motion of the forearm and wrist (as in swinging a tennis racket). It can cause pain with certain movements, weakness, and limited range of motion in the joint.
Don’t let tennis elbow keep you on the bench- acupuncture can help!
When doctors at the Mayo Clinic used acupuncture to treat 22 people with chronic tennis elbow, they found that and 80% got complete and lasting relief, while an additional 10% experienced a marked improvement.
Peter T. Dorsher, MD and consultant in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the clinic, explains: “We were treating the worst of the worst—patients who had been seriously disabled by their tennis elbow pain for an average of 14 months before starting acupuncture treatment.” Participants of this study had failed to find relief with all standard treatments for tennis elbow, including anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone injections, and wearing braces.
Studies published in the Oxford journal of Rheumatology had similar results: a randomized, controlled study done in 2002 found a 50% pain reduction after only 2 weeks of acupuncture treatments.
Acupuncture has been repeatedly proven to reduce inflammation, alleviate pain and increase blood circulation. It does so by activating qi and blood along meridians, or channels, that travel the length of the body.
Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment option for all injuries, and there is no risk of side effects that are often associated with cortisone shots and anti-inflammatories. Even better, acupuncture also improves your sleep, energy, and overall wellbeing. If you have tennis elbow, consider acupuncture to get you back in the game!
Resources:
1. Devitt, M. “Acupuncture for Tennis Elbow: Study Suggests Treatment is Effective, Even in Difficult Cases.” Acupuncture Today (2002).
2. Fink, M. “Acupuncture in chronic epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial.” Rheumatology (Oxford) 41.2 (2002): 205-209.
